The Other 73
by Hutsune
Summary: It's all about the Mockingjay and her lover. All about the rebellion that blazed through Panem and brought the Capitol tumbling down. But we haven't seen the victors that built the foundations for her to light the fire for.
1. Marco Ashwood, District 7 (17)

**The Other 73**

**AN: So as you've probably guessed from the title, this is a series of one shots concerning the 73 victors before Katniss and Peeta. It's just a trial, so please let me know what you think.**

**For those of you following "An Arena of Stone": Don't worry, my next chapter is in the works. It's just difficult to find time to sit down and write during my exams. But because I miss writing, I decided to write these short segments instead.**

**The First Hunger Games**

**Name: **Marco Ashwood

**Age: **17

**District: **Seven

It's weird to think that this time last week I was sitting in my desk at school, listening to my Panem History teacher drone on and on about something I wasn't interested in. Now, looking around at the other twenty-three teenagers standing in a ring on their metal plates, it felt as if my life in District 7 happened years ago.

_60._

I thought I was dreaming the day President Cassius made the "big announcement" on TV. We all got the day off school (I was quite happy about it, even though it seems like such a trivial thing now) and were made to gather in Town Square. I remember pushing my way to the front of the crowd, elbowing Reena Goodman in the ribs as I passed, to get the best seat for the president's exciting news. It was less exciting than I anticipated.

_50._

I actually laughed when I heard what President Cassius was planning to do. Put 24 teens into an arena for a massive fight to the death? He must have been joking! Turns out he wasn't after all.

_40._

It took a few pushes from my friends to get me up onto the stage at the first reaping. I could hardly believe that it was my name they'd chosen. Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this? What did any of us do to deserve this?

_30._

The arena looked like a picture straight from my Pamen History textbook. Luscious green grass surrounded the metal plates on all sides, making the ground look like a sea of green. I've always liked green; the colour of the forests of my district. Greener still was the vast wood at the edge of the grass, stretching out as far as the eye could see. That would be the first place I'd go.

_20._

The girl on the plate next to be had started to cry, great sobs shaking her small body as she hugged her worn teddy (her district token) to her chest. She really was a tiny thing, didn't look a day older than 12, with firery orange hair tied in two plaits on either side of her face. She'd be lucky to survive the day.

_10._

I closed my eyes and went back to my last Panem History lesson. My teacher continued to talk, completely unaware that half his class had either fallen asleep or had stopped listening a long time ago. I'd give anything to be back in that class right now.

_0._

I ran.


	2. Niall Miller, District 9 (16)

**The Second Hunger Games**

**Name: **Niall Miller

**Age: **16

**District: **Nine

"Niall? Helloooo? Are you even listening to me?"

I lifted my head and glanced at my district partner.

"Yes, Rio. I'm listening."

Rio flicked her blond hair over her shoulder, flashed me another charming smile and continued to speak. I just sighed and, just like I'd been doing for the past six days, tried my best to ignore her constant chatter.

Calling Rio "shallow" would be an understatement. I'd known her for years, since we started school together at age six, and she had failed to grow up that entire time. In Rio's world, everything revolved around either herself, her hair or any of the many boys she's had a crush on over the years. The words "intelligent conversation" probably aren't even in her vocabulary.

"...So when Nimelle started telling everyone, and I mean _everyone_, about Evan and me, I just knew that I had to do something..."

Trying even harder to block out her pointless story, I shrugged my backpack off my shoulders and, getting down on my knees, felt around inside for my metallic water bottle. I grasped the cold metal in seconds and pulled it out of the bag.

Thankfully, the Gamemakers this year had been very gracious with their water. The arena was based around a thick main river, with smaller tributaries branching off it in every direction and disappearing into the lush medow which made up the rest of the arena. I was wary of the water at first (I wouldn't put it past the Gamemakers to poison it), but, despite my warnings, Rio rushed right in and started to drink. Nothing happened to her so I figured that the water must be safe.

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I couldn't hear Rio talking anymore. The peace was magical, just like the calming water from the stream that was flowing over my hands at I filled my water bottle. We hadn't come into contact with any of the other tributes in our six days out here, something that I was very thankful of. I dreaded the moment when I'd have to face another tribute.

The water around my fingers felt strangely warm. Had the Gamemakers turned up the heat perhaps? I sighed and opened my eyes and looked down.

Instead of seeing the crystal clear water I was used to, I saw a dark red mixture sticking to my already stained fingers. Blood.

And then I realised why I wasn't hearing Rio's voice anymore.

"Why hello there, District 9," said the cheerful voice of the pretty red-head from District 6. "Took you a while to notice us."

My blood ran cold and I turned around slowly. Behind me stood the District 6 girl and her district partner, the huge 18-year-old with bad skin. And he was holding Rio.

Rio wasn't dead yet, no cannon had gone off, but she was in a bad state. A line of blood had been drawn across her neck and was dripping down her chest into the stream besides me, changing the crystal water to red.

"Looks like my friend didn't cut her deep enough," shrugged the girl, turning to the boy. "Ford?"

The large boy grinned and I saw the knife flash in front of Rio's terrified face. She looked at me pleadingly, her blue eyes filling with tears as the boy brought the knife to her neck once more. It was over before she could scream.

_Boom!_

I flinched at the boy threw Rio's lifeless body into the stream in front of me. The girl just laughed Rio's blood clouded out from her body as she floated away.

"Don't worry, District 9. You'll be joining her soon."

The boy grabbed me before I could react and, as I struggled, waved the knife in front of my face.

"This will only hurt for a second."

I lashed out at him as he brought the knife to my neck, kicking him in the crotch as I felt the cold blade make contact with my skin. The boy screamed in pain and crumpled over, dropping me instantly.

"You idiot!" screamed the girl. "Get him!"

But I was already running. I splashed through the bloody water as the girl threw her knife, completely missing me. I stole a look over my shoulder and smiled as I saw the huge boy still rolling on the ground in pain, the girl cursing loudly at him.

The small cut on my neck stung, but I ignored the pain as I ran. I was alive and that was all that mattered.

**This would have been a good career scene, but I guess the whole "career" concept wouldn't have been thought up yet.**

**Thanks for reading and I hope you'll review :)**


	3. Arizona Finch, District 10 (17)

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far. I really appreciate it. Feel free to check out my other HG story too. You can find the link on my profile.**

**Oh and if anyone has a specific tribute or scene that they'd like me to write, just let me know in a review and I'll use it for the next chapter.**

**The Third Hunger Games**

**Name: **Arizona Finch

**Age: **17

**District: **Ten

I had never run so fast before in my life. It honestly felt like I was flying, just like the bird that was my namesake, but every time I remembered the reason why I was running, it brought be right back down to earth.

Branches slapped across my face as I ran, scratching out thin lines of red as my vision blurred with tears of pain. Or were they tears of fear? I couldn't seem to tell the two apart.

I could hear the older girl behind me, her running footsteps getting closer and closer with every second. Her name was Mesia Lee and she was from District 9. And, like her district, she'd scorred an equal number in training. If she caught me, I would die.

My heart thumped violently in my chest and each new breath I took was a struggle. I didn't want to admit it, but I was tiring. There was no other choice. All I could do was stand and fight.

I stopped suddenly, drawing out a thick, serrated knife (my only weapon) from the pouch in my belt. The blade shon in the thin streams of sunlight breaking through the canopy above me. I turned away as I caught sight of my bloodied reflection in the metal. I didn't want to see what I'd become.

Everything around me was quiet. The whole forest seemed to stand still as it waited for the inevitable confrontation that was about to happen. My ragged breathing filled the eery silence as I waited for Masia Lee to make her appearance. I wasn't going down without a fight.

Then she was upon me. Masia Lee had come from the right, flying out of the surrounding bushes with a knife in her hand. I'd forgotten how big this girl was. Even thought she was only a year older than me, she towered over my small frame and seemed to have more muscle definition than most of the boys in District 10, which is saying something since we do a lot of manual labour. As she charged at me, I realised that I'd made a mistake in holding my ground to fight. There was no way that I could beat this girl. And she knew it.

I don't know how I managed to get out of her way in time. Somehow, I dived to the left and Masia Lee rushed past, scattering dead leaves off the forest floor as she did.

"What's the matter, District 10?" she taunted, her beady eyes glittering as she advanced on me again. "Is that the best you've got? Are you tired?"

I didn't reply, my face hard as I waited for her to lunge at me again. I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction.

Masia Lee came at me again, faster than before. I knew I couldn't dodge her this time, so I reflexively through up my arms to cover my face, lifting my knife up in the process. I don't know how it happened, but it make contact with the other girl's blade and thrust it to the side. It didn't touch me.

"Lucky shot," muttered Masia Lee, backing off slightly, glaring at me. I stood my ground trying my best not to shake. That was the wrong move.

Masia Lee must have realised that I wasn't going to move, not even to attack, so she took a step forward and, glaring at me again, swiftly threw her knife in my direction. There was no warning. My world exploaded in pain as I felt the sharp blade pierce my shoulder and I stumbled backwards, tripping over a tree root and sending my small body crashing to the ground.

Tears leaked from my eyes as I looked up at the girl who was walking towards me and I cringed as I saw her bend to pick up my dropped knifem This was where Masia Lee made her first mistake.

I saw a flicker of doubt flash across her face as she looked down at me crying on the forest floor and that was when I realised that she didn't want to kill. She was just a girl who, like me, wanted to go home.

"Please Masia," I whispered, tears running down my cheeks. "Don't do this. I don't want to die."

Masia Lee blinked in surprise and hesitated for a second. A second was all that I needed.

Grabbed a nearby stone, I sprang up and flung myself at the girl, striking out with the stone in my hand. She froze in surprise and I felt the hard stone make contact with her skull. There was a crunching sound and she fell over backwards, taking me with her.

There was no cannon.

Masia Lee was still alive, blood flowing freely from the small protion of skull that my stone had crushed. I noticed the tears in her eyes as she looked up at me pleadingly, but there was nothing that I could do for her even if I wanted to help her. She was beyond that. The least I could do was save her the suffering and try to end it quickly.

_I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,_ I thought as I slammed the stone down onto her skull once again and again and again, wishing desperately that the cannon would just go off. But it didn't.

Now I was crying too and fear consumed my body as I brought the stone down on Masia Lee's head again. Her dark eyes were open, full of pain and staring at me as I frantically tried to end her life. It scared me to know that I was the one causing her so much pain but, try as I might, I just couldn't finish the job. I wanted to put her out of her misery, even though I was the one who caused it, as quickly as possible. I wanted to stop being the monster I had become.

_Boom!_

I jumped slightly at the sound of the cannon and rolled off Masia Lee's motionless body. I thought I would feel relieved that it was all over, but instead I felt sick. I sat there, shaking, as I tried to calm myself down, my racing heart making it impossible. I'd just killed someone and the whole family had watched me do it. My parents had seen it. My little sister had seen it. I wondered what she thought of me now.

I stood up, stealing a quick look at Masia Lee's body as I moved away from it. I immidiately wished that I hadn't.

Her dark eyes were glassy and empty, but yet they managed to stare up at me accusingly, blaming me for their owner's death. Their chilling stare made my blood run cold.

In that moment, I wished that it was my cannon that sounded that day. I still do.


End file.
